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Four Madison County High School FFA program members, who have been senior officials for the past two years and Agri-Science teacher, Ed Sapp, accompanied the FFA American Degree award recipients to the national convention. Pictured, from left to right, are: Steven Walden, Senior official of the FFA; Brett Shipley, Senior official of the FFA; Jarrett Briggs, Senior official of the FFA; Lane Peavy, award winner; William Terry, award winner; Eli Curl, Senior official of the FFA, and Ed Sapp, Agri-Science teacher.
Kelly Greene - Greene Publishing, Inc.
Congratulations are in order for two local young men, William Terry and Lane Peavy, who were awarded the Future Farmers of America (FFA) American Degree, on Friday, Oct. 28. The award was presented at the 89th National FFA Convention and Expo, held at Lucas Oil Stadium, in Indianapolis, In. The degree is awarded to less than one percent of FFA's members, making it one of the organization’s highest honors.
To receive the American FFA degree, you must have received the State FFA degree, be an active member, have completed 540 hours of systemic secondary school instruction in an agricultural education Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) program, be graduated from high school for at least 12 months prior to the National Convention, have an operation and have maintained records to substantiate an outstanding supervised agricultural experience program through which a member has exhibited comprehensive planning, managerial and financial expertise; earned and productively invested at least $7,500 or have earned and productively invested at least $1,500 and worked 2,250 hours in excess of scheduled class time, have a record of outstanding leadership abilities and community involvement, achieved a high scholastic record; and participate in at least 50 hours of community service, within at least three different service activities.
“I am happy that I was able to go through the FFA program and receive this honorable award,” said Terry. He was accompanied at the convention by his parents, Henry and Tanya Terry, who own and operate the Terry Farm, in Lee. The family farm is where Terry received much of his agricultural experience, while working the 500 acre parcel with crops of watermelons, soy beans and rye. “My motivation comes from a family that has raised me to love agriculture and respect the land,” added Terry. Terry would also attribute his experience and success to the three years he spent under the instruction of his role model and teacher, Ed Sapp, the Agri-Science teacher at Madison County High School.
Peavy said he felt very honored for being selected to receive this prestigious award. He would not be where he is today if not for the role models in his life, who are: his parents, Opie and Paige Peavy; Ed Sapp, his Agri-Science teacher; and Brian McHargue, owner of M. W. Land and Cattle.
Peavy wanted to make sure the importance of these Agri-Science classes was expressed and shared his concern that these classes are being de-funded by some schools. He stated people are misinformed on how beneficial the agriculture classes actually are. He went on to explain, the classes help students learn important information concerning the latest technological advances available to farmers involving agriculture. “It is farmers who feed America,” said Peavy.
Four FFA senior officials and their Agri-Science teacher, Ed Sapp, accompanied the award winners, Lane Peavy and William Terry to the national convention. The four boys: Steven Walden, Brett Shipley, Jarrett Briggs, and Eli Curl have been involved with the FFA since the sixth grade. According to Sapp, the trip was a reward for their participation in the program and is paid for by the FFA organization. The convention offers leadership activities, training seminars, conferences, classes and much more, giving participants an experience of a lifetime. The convention is packed full of information on the latest technological advancements in agriculture.
While speaking with Ed Sapp, he was informed of how highly Peavy and Terry thought of him and they would credit him with their success. “I truly appreciate the award winners thinking of me as their mentor, but they were very determined students,” added Sapp. “I just played a part by encouraging them along and helping them along in the process but it took their determination and wanting to do things right to get them where they are today.” He went on to say, both of them had an interest in agriculture due to their home-life experiences on the farm. His part was to encourage that and help them to learn leadership to prepare them for a career in agriculture.